And Then Some
by Errow
Summary: A new marriage law places Hermione in a rather bizarre situation. The future Mrs. Black now has to deal with her handful of a fiancé, the growing mystery of what might be going on at the Ministry of Magic, and whatever Draco's dad has got to do with it.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is something I wrote a long time ago when I was bored. It was originally supposed to be the beginning of a multi-chapter, but looking at it now, I kind of like it as a one-shot. Yes, it would have been eventual SB/HG, but for now, it's only really friendship._

_Some changes I've made that you should note: Sirius Black has come back from the veil, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin are both alive and did not die at the Battle of Hogwarts. It has been roughly two years since the Battle._

...

Hermione grimaced in pain as she sat down on the couch in a not-so-graceful manner.

"You okay?" Harry asked, noticing her discomfort. He sat to her right, and Ron to her left on the large couch in the center of the Burrow.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Hermione waved off his concern. "I'm still a bit sore from the Jorgenson case, that's all."

Harry nodded, understanding what she was talking about.

Harry and Hermione were both Aurors working in the Ministry of Magic. If asked a year ago, Hermione never would have guessed that she'd be working alongside Harry as an Auror. She had worked at Flourish and Blotts for a few content months after graduating Hogwarts, but then Harry informed her of an opening in the Auror Department. His boss, a man she had come to know as Rickson, had asked Harry about his good friend, the semi-famous Hermione Granger. After a lot of negotiation, Hermione gave the job a try, and with minimal time in the training course, she was the wizarding world's newest Auror.

That was six months ago, and now she was a happy auror, rising in the ranks with Harry. Draco Malfoy was also an Auror now, and she occasionally worked on a case with him. That was what happened in the Jorgenson case. A wizard by the name of Geoff Jorgenson had been selling cursed items to unsuspecting witches and wizards. It had resulted in three deaths before Hermione and Malfoy were assigned to the case. Hermione had been reluctant to work with Malfoy, but over time, they had become somewhat friendly, and he didn't bother her all that much any more. After some tracking and undercover work, Hermione and Draco located the criminal and attempted to capture him. He was a skilled fighter, and Hermione had taken a nasty stunning spell, which had sent her flying back and resulted in a nasty bruise on her side. In the end, they had captured the man, but Hermione was still rather sore on this afternoon.

"Mum's gonna give me a haircut," Ron muttered absently after a moment of silence.

Hermione looked over to him, considering his unruly ginger hair. It had grown quite long. She looked at the young man sitting beside her. Ron always had a special place in her heart, but shortly after the war ended and Voldemort was defeated, she had realized that it wasn't in a romantic way. They broke up a month after the Battle of Hogwarts. Luckily, Ron had stuck around, he was even an Auror at one point, but quickly resigned when his brother, George requested another hand at the shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Even though things tended to get awkward between Ron and Hermione, they were still friends, and that she was glad for.

"Why?" Harry asked Ron, in response to his earlier statement.

"The weddings," Ron gave an almost automatic response, his voice sounding strangely devoid of emotion. He was looking at a copy of the _Prophet_, which sat on the coffee table in from of the trio. Hermione tried not to look at it again, she had already read it several times.

"Oh," Harry whispered. The mood was suddenly turning very dim.

It was common knowledge to most of the wizarding world that a Marriage Law was going into effect. It had only been released three days ago, and everyone was already in a panic. The Law stated that Wizarding Population was declining drastically, and there was a need for a marriage law. Due to the number of squibs, the law also stated that Purebloods must only marry Half-bloods or Muggle-borns, and that all witches and wizards who were currently in relationships had one month to get married before their spouse was chosen by the ministry. The release of this law had definitely caused a ruckus within the Order.

"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked, not really sure who she was talking to.

"It won't be that bad, Hermione," Harry put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It's only a piece of paper. None of us are _really_ getting married."

"I still don't understand why you have to marry _him_," Ron frowned, looking toward Hermione.

Hermione clenched her jaw, "Ronald, you know why, and besides, it wasn't like _you_ were jumping up and down to marry me instead." She remembered that day, when Ron announced his plans to marry someone he'd been seeing. That _Maria_ girl. Hermione could still feel the painful sting it caused her, knowing that he was choosing to marry this other girl instead of her. Even if they had been broken up for over a year...

"You heard what Kingsley said, and even my dad agrees," Ron took a defensive tone, "They think the Minister is under the _imperious_, Hermione! I have to make sure Maria doesn't get assigned to marry one of those Death Eaters that just got out of Azkaban! You're not the only Muggle-Born that needs protection."

"Why are you complaining about my Fiancé if you're the reason I've got to marry him then?" She said sharply.

"_I'm_ not the reason! It's the bloody Order, for forcing you into a fake wedding!" Ron's face was growing red. He stood up and paced to the other side of the room and back again.

"Ron, calm down," Harry said, "None of us are happy with this, but you heard what Remus said, once they find out who's behind this, all the weddings will be overturned."

"But why _him_?" Ron whined.

"Because he can keep Hermione safe! He's the purest pureblood around, and he's a trained auror! They can't touch Hermione with him around!" Harry was now shouting as well.

Ron grimaced and stood there in silence. He kept looking from Hermione, to Harry, to the cover of the _Prophet_, which still sat on the table with Hermione's photo on the front cover. "Whatever," Ron mumbled under his breath, and walked briskly out of the room.

Harry turned to Hermione, who had her arms clasped tightly around her sides and stared at the newspaper with it's moving pictures.

He moved forward and took her into a tight hug, giving her a forced smile after pulling back. "I need to go talk with Ginny," Harry said, "I'll be around if you need me."

Hermione nodded and sat back down on the couch as Harry left the room. She could hear footsteps creaking around upstairs, and the gentle tapping of water from someone taking a shower.

**New Marriage Law Brings Distress for the Golden Trio; _an investigative report by Rita Skeeter_**

Hermione frowned at the cover of the Daily Prophet, then proceeded to pick it up and read it for what felt like the twentieth time that morning.

_**As the newly announced Marriage Law prepares to go into full effect, I did a special investigation on how this law has shaken up your favorite Gryffindor heroes: The Golden Trio. According to the Department of Marital Affairs, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger have all registered to marry, choosing to dodge the Ministry's attempts to pair compatible partners with eachother.**_

_**According to an inside source within the Ministry, Harry Potter has registered to marry Ginevra Weasley, his long-time girlfriend; Ronald Weasley has registered to marry a Mariana Trell, whom he has been spotted out and about with in Diagon Alley; and finally, Hermione Granger has registered to marry a Mr. Sirius Black, Azkaban escapee who has recently been cleared of all charges after returning from his supposed death.**_

_**These marriages are definitely suspicious to the Ministry, our inside source has told us that they will be keeping a special eye on these three marriages. Perhaps the most shocking of the bunch: Ms. Granger's engagement to the Black heir. Sirius Black was recently found alive after being proposed dead almost four years ago. He was cleared of several murder charges, and is now a free man, making him a center of attention to Wizarding Society. The popular magazine, Witch Weekly, recently listed Black as one of their most eligible bachelors. The pureblood has definitely made a transformation into a charming and successful man, with his inherited fortune, and his job as an Auror for the Ministry alongside Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger.**_

_**Even though these engagements have been approved by the Department of Marital Affairs, we still have our suspicions as to the validity of the couples in question. Some have expressed their concern that Ms. Granger is simply trying to gain more fame by marrying the wealthy Mr. Black.**_

_**According to the Law, for a marriage to qualify as valid, it must meet the following requirements:**_

_**The couple in question must be living together in a suitable home.**_

_**The marriage must be consummated at least once a month as monitored by the Ministry.**_

_**Within two years, the couple must produce a child with full magical abilities.**_

_**As we move forward with these changes in our society, we must wait and see if the Golden Trio's suspicious marriages hold up under the spotlight.**_

_**-Rita Skeeter, Senior Reporter for the Daily Prophet**_

Hermione finished the article and looked up to the top of the page, where a picture of her and Sirius was pasted across the newspaper. It had only been taken yesterday, when the group of them had ventured out to the Ministry in order to register their marriages. Hermione was holding hands with Sirius, a big smile on her face as she pretended to be madly in love with him. Next to her, Harry and Ginny didn't have to pretend too much, they were actually in love. Below that moving photo was one of Ron and his future wife, looking happy and in love as well.

The bushy haired witch slammed the article down on the coffee table, and the removed her wand from the waistband of her jeans to set the paper on fire. She angrily watched as the picture of her and Sirius bust into flames, leaving blackened ashes behind which Hermione quickly vanished.

"The article was bullshit anyways," A playful voice came from behind Hermione, making her jump. She turned around to see Sirius, stepping out of the fireplace. She hadn't even noticed him floo in.

"Complete bullshit," Hermione agreed, walking over to the kitchen, intent on pouring herself a calming cup of tea. As she walked, her fiancé playfully smirked at her anger. She just rolled her eyes and continued on to the kitchen.

Ever since Sirius had been rescued out of the veil, he was different. With the war over, and his name cleared, he was a free man. Hermione and the rest of the Wizarding World had quickly learned that freedom looked good on Sirius Black. He was physically the same age as the day he fell into the veil, and mentally, Hermione always considered him to be a eighteen year old boy. All in all, the man was happy, with some help from Harry, he got a job as an auror, and worked alongside his godson, then also Hermione.

Within the past couple of days, a similar thought had run through Hermione's mind several times. It was always along the lines of questioning whether she was taking away his happiness and freedom. She didn't want to tie him down, and she definitely didn't want to marry him, but this was completely necessary, and after all, he had been the one to offer to marry _her_.

"How are you holding up?" He questioned, following her into the kitchen.

"I'm fine," She lied. "Do you want some tea?"

"No thanks," he murmured, leaning up against a cabinet and watching her intently.

"What?" Hermione asked, noticing his scrutiny. She was quickly becoming irritated with him.

The man shook his head, "nothing."

"Can I help you with something, then? Or are you just here to follow me around?" She asked sharply, growing irritated.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "I actually did have a reason for coming," he paused, "we haven't talked about where we'll be living."

Hermione set her tea down and looked at him, suddenly remembering the whole other dimension of their marriage that they had to sort out. She groaned and motioned for him to sit down at the kitchen table. They were lucky that most of the Weasleys were out today, or at least staying out of the way for now.

"Well, I can't live here," Hermione noted, "What about your house? Couldn't we just move in there?" She remembered Grimmauld Place sort of fondly, even though she hadn't visited in months. It seemed like all of her friends were staying in big old houses and couldn't find anywhere else to live. Sirius had expressed his desire to ditch Grimmauld for months, and she understood that, but she couldn't resist a small attachment to the idea of living there again. Hermione had been trying to find a flat recently, after being rather fed up with cramped life staying at the Burrow, but maybe she could settle down at Grimmauld for a while. It wouldn't be that bad... She always loved the antique Black library, and there were so many rooms in that house, she could surely avoid Sirius as much as she wanted.

Sirius was frowning at the thought of his childhood home, "Honestly, I'm just waiting for an excuse to get as far away from that place as I can."

Hermione nodded. The more she considered living there, the more flaws she saw in her plan. The house wasn't exactly in good shape, plus, there were new dangers in the world, and Grimmauld Place was now a known location to the Ministry. With Mr. Weasley's recent suspicion of the ministry, they couldn't risk living there.

"What if we just found a flat to live in? It would only be temporary." Hermione offered.

Sirius nodded, "I was thinking the same thing, love."

Hermione briefly considered living with Sirius. She sure hoped that they could manage a spacious flat, so she wouldn't have to be constantly bumping into him. Sirius could definitely be irritating sometimes, especially when got all cocky and immature. It would probably be hell living with him. Not to mention she had to sleep with him. But the Law only stated that it was once a month, and as far as she could tell, they didn't have to have sex on their wedding night, only within a month. Still, she blushed while considering sex with Sirius.

Hermione returned her eyes to the wizard before her and nodded curtly. "Anything else you need?"

"Yeah," he responded bitterly, "Do I have to meet your parents?"

Hermione's mouth went dry, "_shit_, I completely forgot about them."

Shortly after the war, Hermione did some research on memory recovery so she could make the journey to bring her parents back from Australia. She was successful, and they were back in her childhood home, with complete memory of their daughter. She was happy to have them around, but she was sure they would prove difficult when they were informed of the engagement.

He flashed a charming grin, "I'm good at meeting parents."

"Not my parents, not you, they'll see right through it," Hermione muttered, "I can't just expect them to believe all of this."

"Then tell them the truth," Sirius offered, "Tell them how we have to get married."

Hermione shook her head, "No, they'd probably take me back to Australia with them, and make me go into hiding rather than marry you... No offense."

"None taken."

Suddenly, Hermione was hit with their solution, "You won't meet them until the wedding," Hermione lit up with the idea, "I'll call my mum and tell her about it, she'll probably be angry, but her and my dad will get over it by the day of the wedding. Then you can prove how wonderful you are at meeting parents." She gave him a sweet smirk.

Sirius nodded his acceptance to the challenge and stood up, "Great, and we'll go flat shopping soon, alright?"

Hermione chewed her lower lip, "We've still got a whole month until the wedding..."

"A month isn't that long," Sirius said flatly.

"_Fine_," Hermione let out an exhausted sigh, "We'll go look for a flat soon."

Sirius grinned, "Well, I'm off. Goodbye, future Mrs. Black." He walked towards the fireplace.

"Don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"It's not my name."

"That's why I said _future_ Mrs. Black."

"Goodbye, Sirius"

"Bye, love."

"Don't call me that either."

The man disappeared into green flames before he heard Hermione's last words. She was left wondering what the coming weeks would entail, and how her life would change after the upcoming wedding. She would soon be Hermione Black.

"_Hermione Black_," she whispered to herself. The name sounded so different on her tongue, but it wasn't all that bad, and as she began to repeatedly murmur the name, she grew more and more used to it.

...

_A/N: So there you go. If you liked it, reviews are appreciated. As I said before, this was originally going to be a multi-chapter, but I decided to post it as a one-shot. Now, if a lot of people want to see this continued, you can let me know, and maybe I will..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: (Forgot this last chapter) I own nothing. This was created for entertainment purposes only._

_A/N: Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback on the previous chapter. Almost everybody who reviewed wanted me to continue this as a multi-chapter, so I'm doing it. Here's chapter 2, It's a bit of filler, but I do hope you like it and please stick around for chapter 3._

_Also, I think I should remind you guys that this is a bit AU, Remus and Tonks never died. They come in at the end of this chapter, and I don't want anyone confused about that._

_..._

Hermione sat at her desk in silence, reading the papers in front of her. Most people assumed working as an Auror was all fieldwork; fighting intense battles and bringing down murderous criminals. But it wasn't like that...well, not _all_ the time. There was a good amount of down time, hanging around the offices and writing up tons of paperwork for each and every case. That was part of why Hermione liked being an Auror; she got action and fighting, but also the comforting feel of parchment and plenty of time to research her cases.

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted when a paper airplane swooped down to land on her desk. She unfolded it and read the scrawled note, immediately recognizing Harry's spindly handwriting.

_Hermione,_

_Rickson wants to you to come to his office. Bring Draco too._

_-Harry_

Hermione stood from her desk and quickly stepped out of her office, only having to pass two other cubicles before she arrived at Draco's. He sat within his office, examining some paperwork much like she had been doing only a moment ago.

"Malfoy," Hermione called, "Rickson wants to see us."

Draco looked up to her, then nodded and stood up, following closely behind as they moved through the corridors.

"I read Skeeter's article about you," Draco taunted playfully.

Hermione grimaced, "She's such a nuisance."

"So where's your fiancé now?"

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know, probably working, like he's supposed to be doing."

When she turned to look at Draco, he was just grinning like he knew something.

She knew the best way to get Draco off her back was to change the subject to something he was proud of. "I heard you're engaged to Astoria," Hermione muttered.

Draco nodded, smitten with his fianceé, very much unlike Hermione, even if she tried not to show it. They continued to their boss' office in silence.

"Granger, Malfoy, sit down," Rickson greeted the two, motioning to a few chairs which sat in front of his desk. Hermione noticed Harry sitting there as well, and took the spot next to him.

"First off, congratulations to all of you on your engagements." The man grinned. Rickson was a large guy, probably in his late forties, if Hermione guessed. He actually reminded her a lot of Mad-Eye Moody with his attitude sometimes. That was probably what got him to the rank of head Auror.

"Thanks," Hermione gave a forced smile. Draco Harry both nodded their thanks as well.

"Alright, down to business now," Rickson said, eyeing some papers on his desk before him, "you all know of the suspicious activity around here lately, correct?"

Hermione nodded. Once again, this Marriage Law was causing suspicion and interfering with another aspect of her life. She wondered when if would ever stop popping up all over the place. It was like the plague, spreading everywhere it had contact.

"I need you three to keep a special eye out. Especially watch the Department of Marital Affairs and that lot who work there. They're really arousing suspicion." The man said in a hushed tone.

"The whole Marriage Law is suspicious," Draco muttered in contempt. They took a moment of silence to acknowledge the overwhelming truth of that statement. With the way Draco was staring at the floor angrily, Hermione began to wonder if maybe he had been placed in a similar situation to her- was his engagement to Astoria phony like hers was?

"Ah, Black," Rickson looked up and past Hermione, "I'm glad you could make it." Hermione turned to look and saw Sirius standing in the doorway. Tons of thoughts raced through her head. Did she have to pretend around these people? Judging by the look on Harry's face, she did.

Sirius nodded and entered the office, spotting Hermione, "Sorry it took so long, there was a bit of a ruckus down in the Atrium." When he arrived behind her, he bent down to place a sweet kiss on the top of her head, "Hello, love," He greeted her.

"Hi Sirius," Hermione responded, blushing slightly. It was definitely odd pretending to be in love with him, he could made it seem so genuine sometimes.

"Have a seat," Rickson waved his wand and conjured and chair beside Hermione.

Sirius sat down gracefully and motioned for the man to continue with the meeting.

"As I was saying, I'm worried about many other departments of the Ministry. We're lucky that the Auror Department hasn't been affected by this, and it's mainly because I've made sure that nobody can steal my job out from under me. I'm asking you four to keep an eye out, and make sure you inform me of anything suspicious." Rickson gave a serious nod to each of them. "You guys are the top of the top of aurors right now, really. I trust you all, and I hope you can work together to make sure we keep our Ministry safe." He seemed to be looking at Draco near the end of his little speech. He knew that there had always been some tension between Draco and the others. To be honest, all of them had reasons not to trust Draco. Hermione, however, had been learning to trust him recently. It seemed like he had really changed his ways after the war.

"You got it, chief," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair casually. Hermione tried to resist rolling her eyes.

"Alright, I believe that's all I need," the man rubbed his temples, "Good luck to all of your with the weddings and everything."

The group thanked him and moved out into the hallway.

"It's really quite obvious," Draco drawled, turning to face Hermione and Sirius, who stood next to each other.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"Granger and Black." Draco looked at the two of them, "Oh come on, you can't expect me to fall for this, you two really need to work on your acting."

The boy could certainly be annoying sometimes, but deep down, Hermione knew he had good intentions. Sirius, on the other hand, still had trust issues concerning Draco.

"It's none of your business, Malfoy, just buzz off," Sirius snapped, placing a wary hand the small of Hermione's back.

Draco smirked and left, strutting down the hallway in silence.

"I need to talk to you," Sirius turned to Hermione, a slight grin now tugging at his lips.

"Um, okay," Hermione muttered, allowing Sirius to lead her away to his office. Harry chuckled from behind them and retreated back to his own office.

Hermione arrived at the small cubicle and realized that she had only been there a couple times before. It was very clearly Sirius' office. She didn't know what made it look so much like the place where he spent his time, maybe it was because it smelled like him...

"I have something for you," Sirius murmured, moving over to his desk while Hermione stood across from him. Within a couple seconds, he pulled a small bag from a drawer and moved back over to the witch.

Hermione sucked in a breath when he pulled a little black box out of the bag, and she understood exactly what was going on. "Sirius, I told you not to do this." She said sternly, her voice shaking slightly at the end.

"No, you told me not to get down on one knee and propose to you," Sirius corrected, opening the small box to reveal a ring, "Which I'm not going to do. I'm simply _giving_ you your engagement ring, it's really quite overdue, we've been engaged for almost a week now."

Hermione shook her head, not daring an attempt at speaking again. A couple nights ago, when he had casually asked her what kind of ring she wanted, she didn't know he was _serious_... No pun intended.

It was gorgeous, and exactly how she had described her ideal ring to him. It was simple, not too flashy or extravagant. Just a little band with a circular opal shimmering in the middle. Sirius grabbed her left hand and slid it onto her finger, grinning when he examined her hand afterwards.

Hermione exhaled and pulled Sirius into a hug, "I'm mad at you for this," she mumbled while he momentarily lifted her up in that bear-hug way, then set her down with a chuckle.

"You can be mad at me all you want, I just want this to look as authentic as possible. What kind of fiancé would I be if I didn't even get you a ring?"

Hermione shrugged, still examining her hand in awe. "I need to get back to work," She finally said, fumbling with the hem of her robes.

"Bye, love," his voice called to her as she left his office, waving a goodbye over her shoulder.

...

Hermione quietly moved down the stairs in the Burrow, trying to not hit the steps where the floor creaked. She had almost made it to the bottom before a rather obnoxious creak sounded through the stairway. She could immediately hear Molly's footsteps coming from her little alcove in the kitchen.

"Oh, Hermione, dear, what are you up to?" Molly asked, using a cloth to wipe off her hands. She wore the usual crimson Apron of Cooking, and her hair was pushed back slightly. Hermione could smell the stew cooking for lunch in the kitchen.

"I'm going to see Sirius," Hermione winced slightly, hoping Molly's reaction wouldn't be one of anger like it had been so often over the past couple of days. The woman was just so protective of her.

"Wouldn't you like to stay and have lunch first?" she asked, motioning for Hermione to follow into the kitchen.

"No thank you. I think Sirius and I are going to eat," Hermione said calmly.

Molly's face tightened visibly while she looked for something to say. Finally, she settled on the question Hermione had been hearing far too often lately. "Are you alright?"

The witch sighed, trying to look like she was considering the question as inched closer towards the floo. "Yes, Mrs. Weasley, I promise I'll be okay. After we get through the weddings I'm sure everything will go back to normal.

Molly seemed like she was about to say something, but then thought better of it. She nodded and stepped forward to give Hermione a firm hug. "Good luck," she murmured, releasing Hermione with a smile that was a mixture of fondness and worry.

Hermione gave her best smile back, and moved toward the fireplace. She grabbed some floo powder in her hand and with an enunciated "Grimmauld Place", she was off.

Hermione stepped into the dining room and was immediately assaulted by a loud ruckus that could only come from Mrs. Black's portrait.

"SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP, YOU FOUL WOMAN!" Sirius' bellowing scream made Hermione jump slightly at his evident anger. She could hear him stomping down the stairs while his mother's screams became more violent and hateful.

Hermione tried to ignore the portrait's screaming as she entered the front hall. Sirius was struggling to get the curtains closed, murmuring foul curses at the woman.

"Let me help," Hermione muttered, approaching Sirius and assisting in his endeavour to shut up his mum.

After they closed the curtains, he looked at her surprised for a moment, but then remembered their plans for that afternoon. They relocated to the drawing room a moment later so as not to wake up Walburga again.

"Thanks for that," Sirius said gratefully. He looked Hermione up and down with a worried expression as if she had just come out of a fierce battle and might have a bullet wound or something. Finally, he sighed and looked around the room with a sour expression, "I can't wait to get out of this damn house."

Hermione straightened her blouse and smiled, "well, you're in luck, Mr. Black, because your amazing fiancee has come to take you flat shopping." She said it in a cheery tone, trying to put the poignant encounter with Mrs. Weasley behind her.

Sirius chuckled and nodded, "You've got directions to the places we'll be looking at?"

"Yup," Hermione pulled a folded up parchment out of her beaded bag.

"You're certainly cheery today," Sirius commented dryly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "I'm _trying_ to make the best of this situation. Don't ruin it, Black."

Sirius grinned cheekily, "I wouldn't dare."

"Shall we, then?" Hermione sighed, motioning toward the front door.

"Of course, Mrs. Black," Sirius gave his best regal voice, looping his arm in his.

"I told you not to call me that..." Hermione murmured under her breath, not failing to notice the way he had gracefully taken her arm.

...

a few hours later found Hermione and Sirius sitting in a quaint little cafe in the middle of London. Hermione swirled her tea around with a spoon while she picked at the sandwich in front of her. Sirius, who sat across from her, seemed to be pondering their options in housing accommodations while he ate his own lunch.

"I quite liked the second one," Hermione said, thinking back to all the flats they had just visited. The second was definitely her favorite. It was spacious and modern, with a beautiful little study that she could fit at least a hundred books into. The only downside was that there was only one bedroom. One of them would probably be forced to sleep on the couch for a while.

Sirius nodded, deep in thought, "Yes I liked that one too, but I was also considering that one with the nice fireplace." He scratched his chin in thought, "I liked that fireplace. It was a nice fireplace."

Hermione found his serious expression rather entertaining, "Sirius, do you have a thing for fireplaces or something?" she teased.

"It's more of a fetish if you ask me," Sirius' mouth twitched in amusement.

Hermione laughed while he just smirked at her. She realized that this was the first time they were really getting along since all of this marriage stuff had come up. They were being nice to each other. But how long would it last?

"I suppose we should choose one of the flats, though," Sirius murmured, taking on a more somber expression.

Hermione shrugged, chewing on her lower lip, "But are you sure we can afford it?"

"You don't need to worry about that, love," Sirius smiled sweetly, "I've got quite a bit of money in Gringotts in case you haven't heard."

"Oh... yeah," Hermione gave a little nod. It felt kind of like she was taking his money, forcing him to marry her, and stealing his freedom too.

"We've still got a week or so to decide."

Hermione nodded, counting the days until their wedding in her head.

After a moment, Sirius began making conversation, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts. "So how are things back at the Burrow?"

"Well," Hermione considered the question, "I'm glad that I'll be out of there soon. It's a bit overwhelming with everyone around, and I've had enough of Ron lately..." Images of Ron and his fiance swirled in her mind. She hadn't even met the girl he was going to marry yet. The jealously and anger toward Ron had faded away, but now it just left a pang of sadness in it's place.

Sirius must have known that Ron was a touchy subject. He kept looking at her with a somewhat concerned expression, but then he would cover it up and look back down at the table. "You'll be out of there soon," He finally said.

...

After they finished lunch, the couple decided to head back to Grimmauld. Sirius said that Hermione could just stop by for a little bit and then Floo back to the Burrow. Hermione was happy to stop by Grimmauld for at least a little bit; Anything to keep her from going back to the Weasleys so soon.

They apparated on the front step and entered the house. Hermione could immediately hear voices that seemed to be coming from the drawing room. Sirius walked down the hall ahead of her. She saw his vaguely surprised expression as he entered the room.

"Sirius!" It was Teddy's excited voice that Hermione recognized first. The bushy haired witch entered the room after Sirius, and saw Remus, Tonks, and Teddy all sitting in the drawing room.

"Teddy!" Sirius grinned and went to pick the toddler up from his spot on the floor where he had been drawing a picture. Sirius spun the boy around, causing him to break into a fit of high-pitched giggles. His hair was a bright blue color as he laughed and squealed.

Hermione stood in the doorway and watched the group greet each other for a moment before she entered the room. Teddy was the one to spot her first, he gave her a toothy grin and waved a pudgy hand in her direction. She smiled back at him warmly.

"Hermione, it's great to see you, we didn't know you'd be here." Tonks greeted her, standing up to give the girl a hug.

"I had a day off and Sirius and I figured we'd go flat shopping," She smiled quaintly.

Remus raised an eyebrow, "any luck?"

"We found a few nice places," Sirius murmured, placing teddy back on the carpet and looking at Remus and Tonks. "So what brings you guys here so early?"

"Teddy wanted to come over and see you, he threw a bit of a tantrum about how he didn't want to wait until six o'clock like we had planned." Tonks explained, giving her son a pointed, yet affectionate look. Teddy didn't seem to notice, too focused on his drawing.

Hermione realized that they must have had plans for dinner. It suddenly felt rather awkward. They were such close friends, and she was just Sirius' fiance who was several years younger than him and his best friend's former student. A girl like her didn't fit in here. She decided that now was probably a good time to head back to the Burrow.

"I should get going," Hermione said quietly.

Sirius turned back to look at her for a moment, "Hermione, you don't have to leave," He murmured quietly. It seemed like he could sense her discomfort at the whole situation.

Hermione shook her head, "No, that's alright, I'm sure Mrs. Weasley is expecting me."

Sirius nodded and looked back to Remus and Tonks, who were both watching Hermione with slightly worried expressions. She smiled and bid her farewell, before heading for the floo.

...

_A/N: So there you go, chapter two! Next chapter will probably be taking on some more serious issues, and it might be rather long. For now, I hope to see some feedback, all your reviews are wonderful._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I changed my pen name, just thought I should mention it._

…

"I'm really not enjoying this," Hermione mumbled to Ginny. The dress she was currently wearing was large and puffy, making it near impossible for her to walk. She raised an arm and felt the fabric weigh down her limb, making it difficult to even move at all.

"Oh come on," Ginny said, picking at the white fabric of her own dress, "We're lucky that my mum spontaneously has wedding dresses on hand." A small smile was on the girl's face, but Hermione could tell that Ginny was almost as irritated as she was.

They were currently standing in Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's room, both wearing wedding dresses. Ginny's dress was much better than Hermione's, with simple white lace and not too much of an obnoxious skirt. Apparently, it had been Mrs. Weasley's wedding dress back at her own wedding, and she had always wanted Ginny to wear it. Hermione, on the other hand, was wearing a dress that was apparently the property of Mrs. Weasley's mother. She couldn't even imagine how old it was. In her opinion, it was atrocious, and near falling apart. But of course, she couldn't just tell Mrs. Weasley that. It had been extremely kind of her to offer. It wasn't like the girls had much time to go out and actually buy gowns on their own. Mrs. Weasley was only being generous.

"What a strange sight we must make," Ginny chuckled, looking in the large mirror to their right. The two girls stood side by side in their elegant wedding dresses.

Somehow, it didn't seem at all right that they were both getting married in a matter of weeks. Ginny, seeming to sense Hermione's thoughts, turned to give her a silly grin. "We're getting _married_."

Hermione nodded, letting out a heavy sigh. After a moment of contemplation, she attempted to adjust the bust of her dress so it wasn't so uncomfortable itchy. "I really hope Sirius doesn't see me like this," she said, giving her reflection a blazing look.

"Oh, so _now_ you care what he thinks about you?" Ginny waggled her eyebrows in a way that reminded Hermione of Fred and George. Of course _she_ would be the one to suggest that Hermione actually had feelings for Sirius and not be completely grossed out by it. Ginny was rather open-minded about that sort of thing.

Hermione scoffed, "I just know that I would never hear the end of it if he saw me in this dress."

Ginny laughed momentarily, before groaning as the hem of her dress came undone again, "where the bloody hell is mum? She said she was only going downstairs for a moment to get some thread."

Right on cue, Mrs. Weasley burst into the room, holding a small bag and tucking her wand behind her ear. "Alright, Ginny, let me see where it's torn," she approached her daughter and began repairing the fabric with stitches of her wand.

Hermione stood by in a stiff position, looking over the dress once more. It really was a disaster, and it didn't fit her well at all, even with the magical adjustments they had made. Hermione took a deep breath, "Mrs. Weasley, you know, I don't want to take this dress from you. It's really too fancy for me to wear," Hermione tried to find an excuse that wouldn't hurt the woman's feelings, "And besides, I think my mum might want be to borrow her dress."

Molly looked disappointed for a moment, but quickly changed to the look of pity and sadness that she usually gave Hermione as of late. She supposed that was what came with getting engaged to an ex-convict who was almost twice her age. "That's fine, dear," She smiled bitterly, "Have you talked to your mother about this yet?"

Hermione exhaled, and began to undo the zipper on the back of the dress, "No, but I plan on calling her today." She knew that the inevitable conversation with her mum would probably be a trainwreck, but she had to get it over with.

Molly nodded, "Good luck, then, dear," She helped Hermione step out of the large dress. As Hermione slipped her dressing robe back on, she caught Ginny giving her a jealous look as she left. She grinned at her friend, happy to be out of that outrageous gown.

...

"Yes, mum, I know this is really unexpected, but-"

"Yes, I was dating Ron before-"

"We broke up! Mum, look, I'm happy with Sirius."

Harry stood outside of the bathroom, listening to the muffled sound of Hermione speaking on the phone with her mother. His concern grew as he listened to the conversation getting progressively worse.

He had just been walking down the hallway, heading downstairs before leaving for work. Then he had passed by Hermione and Ginny's room, and he overheard part of the current conversation. His worry for Hermione caused him to wait outside, hoping to speak with her when she came out. He really was concerned about her; there's really no telling what could happen to a girl who's being forced into a marriage with Sirius Black.

"I've gotta go-" Hermione's voice floated out into the hall again, sounding thoroughly irritated.

"Okay, I'll stop by on thursday afternoon. Bye, mum, love you."

The conversation definitely ended on a sour note. Harry leaned up against the wall waiting for Hermione to come out. When she did, he was surprised that she didn't look half as bad as he expected.

"Oh, hello Harry," Hermione gave him a half-smile, before letting it fall into a grimace, "Did you hear that?"

Harry nodded, "everything alright?" The two of them proceeded to walk down the hall.

She exhaled, "My mum is a bit angry, but it's nothing more than what can be expected. I'm sure she'll cool down before the wedding."

Harry nodded, "You're going to see her thursday?"

"Yeah, she said I could wear her wedding dress, as surprising as that is." Hermione chuckled, "I've got to go try it on and everything. Hopefully, while I'm there, I can convince them that Sirius is a suitable husband and that I'm happy about it... shouldn't be too hard."

Harry patted her on the back, "lighten up, Sirius is a charmer, I'm sure he'll impress your mum when the wedding comes around, and if that doesn't work, I can always talk to her." It was a known fact that Mr. and Mrs. Granger loved Harry. He was their favorite of Hermione's friends, and nobody really knew why. Never the less, Harry always acted like the caring and brotherly best friend around them. He was sure that he could cool them down a bit if they reacted badly to Sirius.

"Thanks," Hermione smiled, feeling a little of the weight lifted off her shoulders.

...

Hermione fiddled with the engagement ring on her finger nervously as she sat in Rickson's office. Beside her sat Draco, not saying a word, looking still as a statue. On her other side was Sirius, appearing as relaxed as ever, but Hermione knew it was a false front he put up. She had known him long enough to be able to tell when he was trying to look brave. To be honest, he wasn't very good at it; he only ended up looking snobby. Hermione turned back to Rickson, watching the man intently.

Something was up, she knew it.

Rickson wasn't looking at them, instead he focused on a memo that sat on his desk. after a moment, he ran a hand through his greying hair, then proceeded to address the group of them, "Alright, then, we've got a bit of a problem. There's been an attack on someone's family," the three of them seemed to simultaneously inch a little forward in their seats, "A Mr. Devon Johnson works in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes here, apparently he's been speaking out against the marriage law." Rickson looked at the memo again, reading from it, "He's been missing for two days. Also, about a half hour ago his home was attacked, where his wife and son were. I don't know much about what happened, but a small group of healers and aurors were dispatched."

"Did they survive? Was it Death Eaters?" Hermione interrupted, leaning forward and clutching the arm of her chair with white knuckles. She had always been the one to react most to this kind of attacks. She wanted desperately to be on these jobs, so she could do something to help.

Draco seemed to stiffen at the mention of Death Eaters, but still managed a remark, "All Death Eaters are in Azkaban, don't be silly, Granger."

Rickson raised a hand, "We don't know who did it, and that's why I'm sending you three to investigate." The man ran a tired hand over his face, "The mother is dead, but I believe the boy is still alive."

Sirius sucked in a breath, "Should we get out there, then?" Hermione didn't have to look at him to know what his expression was. These assignments always hit home for him, especially when it was something at all similar to Harry's mum and dad's situation all those years ago.

Rickson nodded, "The situation may have changed by now, be careful, I don't know what kind of curses might be on that house. The first responders were told not to enter for anything except retrieving the victims."

With a few final words and directions, he sent the three of them off. They moved quickly to through the Atrium and to the Floos. While they walked, Hermione briefly considered why Draco, Sirius, and her were selected to do this. Surely Harry would have been a good choice as well, but maybe he was busy... Never the less, putting Draco and Sirius together scarcely had good results.

Within moments, they arrived on the scene. It was a quaint little house, with about four or five witches and wizards standing out on the front lawn. One auror seemed to be setting up wards around the house, while several healers were crouched over what she assumed to be the boy's body. She couldn't get a good look.

One of the Aurors noticed their arrival, and rushed over. "Hello, Rickson sent you all, I assume?"

"Yeah," Sirius muttered, examining the scene with a clenched jaw.

"We've detected the use of dark magic, be careful when you go inside." With that, the auror moved back to his previous position.

"Let's go," Draco said cooly, moving ahead, not looking at the two bodies that laid on the front lawn.

Hermione hadn't noticed the mother's body before. A healer was currently running a diagnostic spell on her, trying to determine the cause of death. From what Hermione could see, it looked like the killing curse. The woman looked so cold, with closed eyes and limp appendages. Hermione felt her throat constrict. It never sat well with her to see a dead body.

"Alright there?" Sirius asked, bringing Hermione's eyes away from the dead woman. He looked at her with a concerned expression, stopping in his tracks.

Hermione nodded, but then made the mistake of looking towards the boy. He was alive- that part was reassuring- but he was currently gasping in pain. She felt sick. Why would someone do that to a little kid? He couldn't have been any older than thirteen.

"Hey," Sirius said sternly. His tone told her to stop looking at the bodies. As she returned her focus to his face she felt herself take a shaky breath.

No, she was _not_ going to cry right now. Not in front of Sirius and Draco. Not while she was working.

Sirius noticed her grim state. It was a complete surprise to Hermione what he did next. He moved towards her with arms outstretched. She didn't realize until a second too late that he was hugging her. He pulled her to his chest, putting his arms around her frame. Hermione was about to resist, but after a moment, gave in and wrapped her arms around him in return.

It was strange. She hadn't remembered the last time she had hugged him. That is, without the situation being one where they were pretending to be in love. She realized somewhat ironically that it was rather nice when he hugged her, even if she always told herself she wouldn't like that.

He was _safe_, in some strange sense of the word.

It must have been about twenty seconds before Malfoy called out to them angrily. They broke apart and Sirius lead her into the house. As Hermione passed Draco, he gave her a confused look.

The three of them set off searching the house for evidence. As Hermione performed a detection spell, she realized that there was a large amount of dark magic somewhere in the house. With another charm, it revealed itself to be off in a room to her right. "Come on, there's something over here," she mumbled absently, leading Sirius and Draco.

It was a study, but a dreadfully messed up study at that. Books and papers were strewn everywhere. Someone had definitely been in here searching for something, but what?

Hermione made her way around the room slowly, watching out for any possible dark curses that might be lurking. She wished that there could have been a way to detect if anything was missing.

"It seems like whoever it was took something from the desk," Sirius said, flipping through papers scattered over the dark mahogany table top. Hermione moved closer, looking over Sirius' shoulder.

"It was probably mail," She murmured, "There doesn't seem to be any of it here." She inspected the documents. They were all bills, some newspapers, but no mail. "You'd expect someone to keep mail in their office."

Sirius nodded his agreement.

After a couple moments, Hermione noticed that Draco was still in the doorway. His eyes were narrowed as he inspected the room. His expression was a mixture of fear and wonder. Suddenly, he raised his wand and cast some spell around them. Hermione didn't know the spell, but she guessed that it didn't work because he lowered his wand in surprised defeat only a moment later.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, facing the platinum-blonde wizard. His face had turned to an ashen pale color. Sirius seemed to notice this as well, he took a cautious step forward, standing slightly in front of Hermione.

"I think it was my father," Draco said in a raspy voice. His eyes were transfixed on the ground, but after a moment, he brought his head up, looking at Hermione and Sirius with questioning eyes, "I think my father did this." He repeated, as if the horrible realization had just hit him.

...

_A/N: This chapter was surprisingly difficult to write, but I managed to crank it out anyways. Now I'm in desperate need of some encouragement, so if anybody wants to leave a super motivating review, that'd be nice...? _


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione hummed quietly to herself, moving her hands expertly to pin her hair back in a braid. While doing so, she took a long look around the library. She had always liked Grimmauld Place for it's library. It was colossal, and barely anyone ever ventured inside, which meant that Hermione usually had it to herself.

On this particular day, she had snuck out of the Burrow once again to retreat to Sirius' house. Mrs. Weasley was becoming a bit weary of the habit that was forming, probably suspicious about Sirius and Hermione becoming too friendly. Honestly, though, there was nothing the woman could do. Even if she protested the marriage, Hermione had to marry Sirius, and she was bound to try and get along with him.

"Here you are," a voice said, making Hermione jump. She turned to see that it was Sirius who had scared her. Of course it was him, he was the only other person in this house. He entered the library, taking a seat in the armchair beside the couch that Hermione was currently occupying. She noticed that he held some papers in his hand, and a large manilla envelope.

"What's that?" she asked, closing her book and placing it on the coffee table.

He arched an eyebrow at her, "Have you forgotten that we're buying a flat?" shifting through the paperwork, he chuckled, "These damn muggles make you sign so much stuff."

The witch perked up, looking over the papers. She had forgotten about this... the paperwork. It was strange, to think that she was buying a house with Sirius, but then again, everything that happened lately was strange.

They had decided on the second flat, finally. It was Hermione's favorite, and after a second visit to check it over, Sirius decided that he liked it as well. It was perfect; with a nice modern living space, a wonderful study, and a decent fireplace for Sirius to enjoy. Now, all that was left was the paperwork, then they would officially be homeowners.

"Why are we even doing this the muggle way?" He asked, squinting down at a section of fine print.

Hermione chuckled, "Muggle real estate isn't that bad."

Sirius huffed, "I need a drink," he murmured, summoning a glass and some Firewhiskey with a flurry of his wand.

Hermione pursed her lips, "Come on, lets get this over with." She grabbed a quill and began looking through the papers, signing wherever it was called for, and then handing it to Sirius to sign.

It was truly a strange moment. Here they were, buying a flat together. The wedding was in a week. Soon, she would be Mrs. Hermione Black, living with Sirius and trying to keep up the act of a couple in love. The worst part was that they were supposed to have a child together. She was supposed to get pregnant! Hopefully, they would get out of this silly law before that point in time. If there was one thing Hermione was sure of, it was that she did not want to get pregnant.

Glancing over at Sirius, Hermione wondered what kind of father he would make. She shivered, hoping that they would figure out how to overturn this law before that point. Surely, Sirius wouldn't be that bad, but a large part of her mind knew that he hated the idea of being a father right now. He wanted to meet the woman of his dreams, surely, not marry some bushy haired know-it-all who was also twenty years younger than him.

She sighed, looking over the papers one last time. There was one more line to be signed. She quickly scrawled her name, and then slid it over to Sirius. He stared at it for just a second, took a gulp of his firewhiskey, then signed it.

"I guess that's it then," he mumbled, leaning back into the armchair.

Hermione took a deep breath, then reached for his glass of firewhiskey, gulping some of it down and feeling the burn trace down her throat. She looked over to find Sirius watching her with an amused expression.

"I needed that," she mumbled to him, reaching for her book once again.

He watched her for a long moment, and she desperately tried to focus on the text in her hands. Before she could think on his stare for much longer, he stood up and grabbed the papers, leaving the room.

…

Harry and Ginny's wedding was set to happen three days before Sirius and Hermione's. As the day approached, Hermione found herself becoming more and more anxious. Her wedding was only in a few days, and between her parents, her fiance, and Mrs. Weasley, she was receiving far too much stress. The only person that was supportive was Ginny, and even she had been somewhat absent because of her own impending marriage.

Finally, the day of Harry and Ginny's wedding came. It was a small ceremony outside the Burrow; the exact same place that many of the other weddings would be taking place. Hermione was the maid of honor, and found that her anxiety was only raised by seeing how gleeful Ginny was. Sure, she was happy for her friend, but she couldn't help thinking about how she wasn't in love with Sirius, and how their wedding would be so different than Harry and Ginny's.

How could she ever pretend to be this happy when she knew that it was all a lie? When she knew that Sirius would never love her and she would never love him? It was a dreadful thought.

After the ceremony, everyone gathered for a reception. There were a lot of people from the Order, all of which were aware of the fabricated relationship between Sirius and Hermione. Still, however, some were unaware, and Hermione was once again forced to put on a show of how in love she was with Sirius.

She found the man in question sitting at a small table with Remus, Tonks, and Teddy. Upon her approach, a large smile split across his face, "You look nice," he murmured, kissing her cheek in greeting.

Hermione blushed, once again wondering how he had become so good at acting. He always had the perfect little affectionate gestures. If it wasn't for her own poor acting, she was sure there would be no question about the validity of their relationship.

"You do too," she said warmly, noting that he did look dashing in the robes he wore. Surely, though, he would look amazing in the suit he'd be wearing for their own wedding as well. They had decided to do it the muggle way, mostly to appease Hermione's parents.

Remus and Tonks were both watching Hermione and Sirius' interactions closely. Then again, it seemed like everyone was doing so lately. Hermione and Sirius always had to prove themselves... it was stressful to say the least.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked suddenly, arching his brow.

Hermione chewed her lower lip, nodding. She had to say yes of course. They had a part to play, she was forced to dance with her fiance.

Sirius guided her out onto the makeshift dance floor. It was very similar looking to the setup of Bill and Fleur's wedding. Hermione briefly remembered that night, and how it had quickly turned into a disaster. They were lucky that the war was over, even if there were still Death Eaters out there on the loose, at least they had some semblance of peace. She didn't mind the marriage law that much when comparing it to the war she had grown up around.

Sirius was an excellent dancer, but she didn't expect anything less of him. He had a strange talent for always looking refined, but then again, maybe it was just in his genes.

"So, about your parents..." he began, one hand on her waist and another clasped in his own hand. It was a very intimate embrace, another sign of his impeccable acting.

Hermione groaned inwardly, but kept her face quaint for the people around her. She had spoken to her mother three times so far. The first time, Mrs. Granger had been outraged. The second time, she had accused Hermione of many things, one of them being that she had somehow gotten herself knocked up. It took awhile to convince her mother that she was, in fact, not pregnant. The third time, Mrs. Granger had calmed down significantly, but still decided that she refused to attend the wedding. Hermione had been about to hang up, before her father had taken over the line, and assured her that they would both be at the wedding.

"My mum's still angry, but my dad seems fine with it. I think he'll calm her down before the wedding." Hermione said quietly.

"Don't worry, love, I can be quite a charmer when I want to be," Sirius mumbled. He moved so gracefully, guiding her along. For one surreal minute, Hermione let herself believe that this was all real. Sirius was her fiance, and was smiling at her lovingly. It was so real, so genuine. He even had her fooled for that short little minute.

Hermione chuckled, "I sure hope so."

She may have been putting on a somewhat happy face for the crowds, but within her mind, Hermione couldn't help all the terrible thoughts. Her mother could be positively vicious if she wanted to. She had to get _married_ in only three days. To Sirius Black. For the past few days, she had started up a habit of lying in bed at night and worrying about blowing her cover of the false relationship.

There was also, of course, the problem of work. After a small investigation, significant evidence had been discovered that proved just what Draco had suspected: Lucius Malfoy was involved. On top of this terrible marriage law, Hermione also had to worry about Lucius and his other Death Eaters causing trouble. A part of her believed that it was all related in some way...

Before Hermione knew it, the song had ended. "Come on, I think Harry and Ginny want to see us," Sirius said quietly, leading the way over to their friends.

Hermione followed, but felt herself blanching when she saw that Ron was there, along with another girl. She immediately recognized her from the pictures in the Prophet. It was Maria... Ron's fiancee.

She must have made some sort of sound to notify Sirius, because the man immediately stopped, leaning down slightly to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry, just keep smiling."

Hermione grimaced, despite his attempt to cheer her up. "Let's just get this over with..." She sighed.

"Hermione!" Ginny squealed, attacking the girl with a hug. She was actually giddy with happiness. When the bride was close enough, she spoke again in a whisper, "You did very well out there dancing... I think you've got everyone fooled."

Hermione smiled, and congratulated her friend once again. Meanwhile, Harry and Sirius launched themselves into some sort of conversation about the future and married life. Sirius held her hand while he spoke, a gesture that made her heart flutter for some strange reason. Harry was intently focused on the man, admiration evident. She was pretty sure that sooner or later, a story about Harry's parents would come into their conversation. Sirius knew that Harry just adored stories like that.

"Er, Hermione," Ron said, catching her attention once again.

She looked over to him, where he stood beside Ginny. The tips of his ears were red with embarrassment as he put an arm around the girl beside him.

"This is Maria," He said flatly.

Maria was pretty. Her long brown hair framed her face perfectly. Hermione had to notice that Maria was much prettier than herself. From the slickness of her hair to her slim frame. She smiled at Hermione, a beaming, bright smile. She was nice, it seemed... and pretty... and Ron looked smitten.

"Nice to meet you," Hermione smiled despite herself, gripping Sirius' hand menacingly. She noticed Ron give a little disapproving frown in the direction of there clasped hands. Oh well, the boy could hate it all he wanted, it was his fault that he had run off with _Maria_ when he could have saved Hermione from this damned law.

Before conversation progressed much further, Sirius managed to pull Hermione away, bringing them both back to where Remus, Tonks, and Teddy were seated.

"Thanks," Hermione whispered up to him, still holding his hand tightly in hers.

...

_AN: I've a few things to address..._

_First, I'm terribly sorry for the delay. I lost my motivation for this story, but I think I've got it back now. Second, I know that this chapter is short, but it makes it easier to update that way. I'll try for longer chapters in the future. Third, I'm thinking about moving this story up to an M rating for the future chapters. Any thoughts?_

_Next chapter is the long awaited wedding! Please review. I want to hear what you guys think. Plus, reviews always make me update faster..._


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